Sports stool bleacher

ABSTRACT

A spectator seating system that provides for increased line of sight for the spectators in the first two rows of the seating system while maintaining compliance with all ADA standards and regulations. The system includes a staggered bleacher like seating style wherein the seats are raised to between 20 and 30 inches from the floor (for the front row) or from the adjacent floor boards for the other staggered rows. No elevation or other raised floor systems are required to achieve the increased line of sight over obstructions place in front of the bleacher like seating used at various sporting events

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to sporting events. More particularly, it relates to the spectator seating used for sporting events.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] When attending a sporting event at a local school or convention center, bleacher seats are commonly used due to their ease and simplicity. The bleacher seat is a bench like seat that generally has several levels to accommodate seating in a stadium like manner.

[0005] In an ice hockey or figure skating arena, the ice rink includes a boarder or what is commonly referred to as the “boards” and in the case of ice hockey may include glass 32 above the boards. These “boards” 30 have a standard height of 42 inches from the ground (See FIG. 1a).

[0006] When used in an ice rink arena or balcony area, bleacher seats have a drawback in that the first two front rows are too low such that the view of the spectators seated in these rows is obstructed by the boards 30. Referring to FIG. 1a, a bleacher seat 12 is generally a predetermined height h₁ from the floor from which it extends. This height h₁ is approximately 17 inches above the floor surface, so the first row is only 17 inches from the ground, while the second row is approximately 8-12 inches higher than that (depending on the seating height of the seating system), yet still 17 inches from the floor panel 16 relative to the next seating level. With the boards 30 having a height of 42 inches, it becomes obvious that the first two rows of a bleacher seats 12 are not well suited for ice rink applications since the line of sight of the spectators sitting in the first two rows will be obstructed by the boards 30.

[0007] In addition, seating planners for arenas and sporting events like ice hockey or figure skating must consider accessibility for physically challenged or handicapped individuals. Bleacher seats are generally positioned on the floor and if raised (elevated) to accommodate the height of the ice rink boards, the entire floor would require elevation in order to maintain acceptable access to the seating for ADA. Once the floor is elevated, the accessibility for the handicapped becomes a major design consideration and often requires additional ramps and significantly more money to comply the American with Disabilities (ADA) act.

[0008] When the floor is elevated to accommodate the height requirements for unobstructed viewing at the lower seat levels, an additional consideration of balconies and railings must be made. When the height of a seat from the floor from which it extends exceeds a certain level (e.g., 30 inches), public safety requires the installation of railings or other support devices. These railings are expensive and can also obstruct viewing by raising the height of the wall in front of the seating, thereby defeating the purpose of raising the floor level in order to raise the seat levels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] It is therefore an aspect of the present invention to provide a raised bleacher like spectator seat that provides all occupants with unobstructed viewing without requiring a change in the floor height.

[0010] It is yet another aspect of the invention to provide a raised bleacher like spectator seat or chair that does not require floor elevation to achieve unobstructed viewing from all seats.

[0011] It is another aspect of the invention to provide a raised bleacher like spectator seat that meets all ADA requirements.

[0012] These and other aspects are achieved in accordance with an embodiment of the invention wherein a plurality of seating levels are staggered up from a floor and have a predetermined height with respect to the floor. A raised seating system is connected to the plurality of levels and includes a seat portion positioned at a predetermined height such that the line of sight of the spectators is raised above a predetermined point. This predetermined point is higher than an obstruction positioned in front of the first row of seating. For example, the obstruction can be the boards from an ice rink or a front barrier to a balcony.

[0013] In accordance with another embodiment, the spectator seating system is designed for ice rink related sporting events having boards around the ice rink of a predetermined height. The spectator seating system includes a plurality of staggered rows, a floor panel for each of said plurality of rows except for a first of said plurality of rows, and at least one seat in each row and positioned to have a predetermined seat height, wherein the predetermined seat height positions a spectator's line of sight above the predetermined height of the ice rink boards.

[0014] The predetermined height of the seats in the seating system is preferably greater than 20 inches and less than 30 inches from the floor. The plurality of seating levels includes a plurality of corresponding staggered floor boards, wherein the predetermined height of said raised seating system is maintained constant with respect to said adjacent floor boards.

[0015] Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In the drawings wherein like reference numerals denote similar components throughout the views:

[0017]FIG. 1a is a side view of bleacher like spectator seating according to the prior art;

[0018]FIG. 1b is a side view of the spectator seating according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0019]FIG. 2 is a plan view of the spectator seating according to another embodiment of the invention;

[0020]FIG. 3 is a plan view of the bleacher like spectator seat shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021]FIGS. 1b and 2 show the spectator seating arrangement 10 according to an embodiment of the invention. The seats 12 are positioned higher than the prior art bleacher seats with respect to the adjacent floor 16 and may include backs 14 to provide additional comfort and security to the spectator at the increased height. The flooring 16 of staggered levels is constant and generally includes 1 ft, 2 ft, 3 ft, etc. seating heights. As shown, the steps 18 are approximately half the seating heights or 6 inches. By maintaining the seating heights constant (i.e., the floor boards 16 are equally spaced) the height H₁ of each seat 12 is also maintained consistent through the staggered elevation of the seating arrangement 10.

[0022] As shown, the seats 12 are positioned on posts 20 such that the seat height H₁ is in the range of 25-29.5 inches. In a preferred embodiment, height H₁ is slightly less than 30 inches. By maintaining Height H₁ less than 30 inches from the adjacent flooring, the need for railings in accordance with safety codes NFPA and BOCA is eliminated. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the seat posts of the higher seating rows may also be equipped with a foot rest 40 that ensures comfort and assists the spectator in accessing the higher seat level.

[0023] The set back distance SB between the respective rows is a matter of design choice and should not be less than 24 inches in order to comply with NFPA and BOCA Codes.

[0024] In the embodiment shown, boards 42 are representative of ice hockey or figure skating boards in an ice arena. Although this is one contemplated application of the seating system of the present invention, other embodiments are envisioned where bleacher like seating is used in a balcony arrangement and where the front barrier of the balcony interferes with the line of sight of the spectators in the first two rows in the balcony.

[0025] According to one aspect of the invention, the seat posts 20 are integrated into the seating system, yet in other contemplated aspects, seat posts 20 can be added to retrofit an existing bleacher seating arrangement with the increased seating height option provided by the present invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that this retrofit can be performed in many different ways by actually reconfiguring an existing bleacher seating system, or providing for quick release systems that enable the removal and/or addition of selective seats to accommodate the seating system of the invention.

[0026] The present invention provides a cheap, reliable seating alternative that meets all the requirements of the ADA without unduly burdening the establishment owners in complying with such requirements. For example, the seating system of the present invention provides a non elevated stand that allows seat access from ground (or floor) level.

[0027] In order for other seating systems to meet the height clearance requirements to provide clear line of sight for first row occupants in an ice arena, the stands would have to be elevated, and once they are elevated, the requirements of the ADA can make such accommodation cost prohibitive. As such, it is preferred to provide a spectator seating system that not only meets all the requirements of the ADA, but one that is not only easy to install, but is cheap and reliable alternative to other more expensive, elevated solutions.

[0028] While there have been shown, described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of the methods described and devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed, described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto. 

1. A spectator seating system comprising: a plurality of seating levels staggered up from an un-elevated floor and having a predetermined height with respect to the floor; a raised seating system connected to said plurality of levels and having a seat portion positioned at a predetermined height such that the line of sight of the spectators is raised above a predetermined point; and a plurality of corresponding staggered floor boards each at a fixed height from the un-elevated floor, wherein the predetermined height of said raised seating system is maintained constant with respect to said corresponding floor boards.
 2. The spectator seating system according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined height of said seat portion is greater than 20 inches and less than 30 inches from the floor.
 3. (Cancelled)
 4. The spectator seating system according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined point is higher than an obstruction positioned in front of a first of said plurality of seating levels.
 5. The spectator seating system according to claim 4, wherein said obstruction comprises boards surrounding an ice skating rink.
 6. The spectator seating system according to claim 4, wherein said obstruction comprises a front barrier of a balcony.
 7. A spectator seating system for ice rink related sporting events having boards around the ice rink of a predetermined height, the spectator seating comprising: a plurality of staggered rows disposed on an un-elevated floor around the ice rink; a floor panel for each of said plurality of rows except for a first of said plurality of rows, each floor panel being at a fixed height from the un-elevated floor; and at least one seat in each row and positioned to have a predetermined seat height, wherein the predetermined seat height positions a spectator's line of sight above the predetermined height of the ice rink boards.
 8. The spectator seating system according to claim 7, wherein said predetermined seat height is greater than 20 inches and less than 30 inches from the un-elevated floor for the first of said plurality of rows and said floor panel for the other of said plurality of rows.
 9. The spectator seating system according to claim 7, wherein said predetermined height of the ice rink boards is 42 inches.
 10. The spectator seating system according to claim 7, wherein said at least one seat includes a back, wherein said rows of seats are set back from each other a predetermined distance.
 11. The spectator seating system of claim 4, wherein the height of the obstruction is 42 inches.
 12. The spectator seating system of claim 1, wherein said raised seating system includes seat backs.
 13. The spectator seating system of claim 1, wherein the raised seating system includes a foot rest for each seating portion.
 14. The spectator seating system of claim 7, wherein each seat includes a foot rest. 